Director:Mat Reeves
Writers:Matt Reeves,John Ajvide Lindqvist
Cast:Chole Moretz,Kodi Smit-McPhee,Richard Jenkins,Elias Koteas
Acting:A +
Entertainment:A
Rewatchability:A
Overall:A
Let me in is Matt Reeves take on John Aljvide Lindqvists Let the Right one in novel which of course was already made itno a movie by Thomas Alfredson titled let the right one in.Lindqvists book is brilliant and so is Alfredsons movie,everyone should see it.So how is Reeves americanized version?Quite simply,damn good and very enjoyable even if most felt it was unnecessary.
Let me In is very similar to let the Right one in but despite that it manages to add a few subtle differences and tries a few new angles while not dumbing it down like most US remakes do.Reeves gets to the heart of picture which of course is the adolescent love relationship between Owen and Abby.
Abby is played by kick-ass star and scene stealer Chloe Moretz.Once again Moretz is brilliant here in portraying 12 yr old Abby who just happens to have a secret,deadly and dark side.Moretz is able to really get us to feel sorry for her and her situation one second and then not so sorry the next second.She transforms from sweet 12 yr old to deadly blood-sucker so quick that the audience is left gasping for air.
Owen played by Kodi Smith-McPhee also gives a memorable and convincing turn as the bullied,lonely and frustrated boy who dreams of getting out of the god forsaken place he lives which this time is Los Alamos New Mexico instead of Stockholm,Sweden.If the audience doesn't feel for Owen then the whole movie would be lost but we are able to feel for him the first time he is bullied mercilessly as he pees in his pants.The bullying goes on and Owen doesn't have anyone to look to for advice.His mom is a bible-thumping drunk(one of the minor changed from alfredsons movie)and his dad is obviously not there for him after the divorce.
Owen's relationship with Abby grows stronger and stronger as she is the only one he can relate to and the only who seems to really care for him.Abby seems to really care about Owen and even lets him in on her secret, though some might say she is just manipulating him for her own good.These scenes showing the bonding between Owen and Abby are some of the strongest in the film.
One of the other subtle differences was the relationship between Abby and her caretaker or " father" figure.It's much more toned down here as Alfredsons movie painted them as having almost a parasitic link.Despite excluding that Reeves is still able to craft an interesting though more paternal dynamic between the two.And with that we end up having much more sympathy for the guardian here than we do in Alfredsons.
Richard Jenkins also did a superb job as"the father" guardian.Like I said above we genuinely feel sorry for him despite the fact that he is a killer and his sole job is to supply blood for Abby.His eyes tell us all we need to know,he doesn't like what he does but he must do it.The car-stalk-crash sequence is one of the films most suspenseful scenes.
The only other major change is the vampire gender angle.Here we get little hints that she may not be a girl but Reeves made that more of a minor back angle as the adolescent love between Owen and Abby is what he really wants us to focus on.Reeves doesn't want us losing interest in that by creating gender confusion.
So..why should anyone see this?
It's a great, adolescent love story with the vampire twist featuring amazing acting and top notch cinematography and production values and a beautiful musical score as well.Matt Reeves clearly loved the novel and Alfredsons movie and pays great respect to it here.
The only complaint I'd have is it does add some questionable cgi but it doesn't take away from the rest of the movie.
I think this will hold an interesting place in the horror genre.Many fans of the original might not like this and care for what Reeves did with it while people who are new to this might love it ans find it refreshing.Either way it should create a lot of discussion.Me I'm happy I have two solid films that I can enjoy in different yet similar ways.
